Community : All Content - Checking In and Out

Welcome packs for guests

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:23:10 GMT

What items do you tend to include in your welcome pack ? From your experience, what goodies have been the most popular with your guests?

Sample Check-in and Welcome Letter

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:33:01 GMT

Creating a check-in policy for your holiday rental is simple but important. By clearly establishing a few basic rules up front, you can head off problems before they occur and address potential guest complaints before they escalate into full-blown disasters.

There are two major components involved in ensuring a smooth check-in process for your holiday rental guests:

The pre-arrival packet (including complete directions and check-in instructions) that you e-mail to guests after you’ve received payment in full
The welcome binder of house information and local attractions that you keep on-site at your holiday home.

The most important information about your home should be duplicated in both places so it’s accessible to guests both before and during their stay.

When it comes to spelling out the details of your check-in policy, you should reiterate the relevant check-in rules in your rental agreement as well.

Those rules are:

No Early Check-ins To avoid guests arriving before your home has been fully cleaned and prepped for their arrival, make sure to clearly state the check-in time, date and day of the week and to reiterate that early check-ins are not allowed.

Check-in is on Saturday 14th June at 4:00 pm. Early check-in is not allowed.

Report Complaints Immediately Upon Arrival A crucial part of your check-in procedure should instruct guests to inspect the property as soon as they arrive and to notify you or your housekeeper immediately about any cleaning or maintenance problems (such as missing towels, a broken air conditioner, etc.) By addressing guests’ potential problems up front, you can help protect yourself from refund requests or negative reviews after the fact.

When you arrive, please inspect the apartment for cleanliness. If ANYTHING is not acceptable, do not hesitate to call the housekeeper at XXXXXXXXXXXX.

To ensure that guests remember to check for problems as soon as they arrive, you’ll also want to highlight this information in the welcome letter that you leave in an easy-to-find spot, such as a kitchen counter or entryway table (along with your welcome gift or basket, if you choose to give one.)

A typical welcome letter will read something like this:

Welcome! We hope you have arrived safely and had no trouble finding our home.

We know you must be ready to relax and start your holiday, and we want you to make yourself at home right way. We just ask all guests to go through the home and report any dissatisfaction within the first 24 hours to us or our housekeeper.

Mary can be reached at XXXXXXXXXXX.
Jim can be reached at XXXXXXXXXXX.
Housekeeper, Ms. Clean, can be reached at XXXXXXXXXXX.

You will find a binder with information about the house and the area on the kitchen counter. Should you have any other questions during your stay, feel free to contact us. We also have a guestbook on the living room coffee table. We encourage you to browse through past entries and leave your own as well.

We hope you enjoy your stay and visit us again in the future!

Regards,
Mary & Jim Jones

How To Get Keys To Your Holiday Rental Guests

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:32:04 GMT

1. Snail mail

Cutting numerous sets of keys and making sure to send them out quickly enough that renters receive them before they leave home can be a real pain. And your job isn’t done yet - you also have to ensure that your renters post the keys back to you after checkout. Forget any one of these steps, and you will have a potentially serious problem on your hands. What if the renters forget to bring the keys with them when they leave their home? What if they don't send them back? What if they lose them while they are there? Posting keys via old-fashioned snail mail leaves a lot of room for error, and you may want to consider an alternative.

2. Lock box

The best way to alleviate all this trouble is to forget the idea of posting keys altogether and buy a simple combination key box. You can attach the key box to your doorknob or anywhere on your property. The most common ones made by GE are inexpensive, and can be found at most locksmiths or on the Internet. (Note: even in beach destinations where the salty air can be corrosive, this type of lockbox tends to hold up well.)

Luckily, a key box is not a complex piece of equipment. It’s easy to set your own code, hang it on your doorknob, and put the keys into it. Then give the renter the combination when you send them the driving directions (they usually don't forget the directions when they leave home, and even if they do, you could always give them the code over the phone). The downside of these types of lock boxes is you cannot easily change the code after each renter.

3. Keyless locks

Another option is to buy some sort of keyless entry door lock. These are similar to what you see in most banks and offices - the kind that has buttons right on the lock, and you can easily change the code after each guest. These locks are great, but they are a bit more expensive. They can also be found online or through most locksmiths and hardware shops.

4. Remote access solutions

You might also want to consider the most high-tech type of keyless lock which offers remote access. Again, these can get pricey, but they do offer many conveniences, such as the ability to create, store, and change combinations right from your home computer or even via your mobile phone. You can also upgrade with accessories to control remotely the thermostat and the lights in your home. The downside is that electronics can malfunction, and the batteries (although they usually last three years) can die. These types of locks also have a monthly service fee associated with them, but you may find it worth the price for the added convenience. For many owners, this may be the only option (aside from posting keys), since many condominium complexes prohibit lock boxes.

Whether you go with the standard lock box or splash out for a fully automated remote system, the most important thing is knowing that your property is safe and minimizing hassle for your guests.

© Copyright Christine Karpinski 2006

Sample Checkout Policy & Departure Checklist

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:28:01 GMT

The Owner Community team travels quite a bit for seminars, allowing us to stay in about 10 different holiday rentals every year. We love the experience time and time again (of course!), but we can’t tell you how many times we are ready to check out and then ask each other, “What do we need to do before we leave?”

You may be concerned about asking your guests to do “chores” before they depart from your home, but most guests will appreciate the guidance prior to checkout. While we don’t advocate placing notes all over your home regarding checkout rules, you should make it easy for your guests to determine what needs to be done before they leave.

Place a copy of your checkout policy in:

Your directions
Your rental agreement
Your welcome book, or somewhere noticeable in your home, like on the fridge

Not sure what instructions to provide to your guests? Although you don’t want to overwhelm your guests with cleaning – after all, you do have a housekeeper – it’s perfectly acceptable to ask them to tidy up specific areas before they leave.

Here are some typical tasks you might ask of your renters before checkout.

Take out all bins to the wheelie bins and place cans and paper products in the recycling bin.
Place all used sheets and towels on the bathroom floor. (Another option is to ask your guests to start a load of laundry. If you go this route, be sure to provide enough laundry detergent.)
Load and run the dishwasher.
Remove any opened food items from the refrigerator.
Turn off lights, ceiling fans or other electronics.
In winter, turn heat to 58º F. In summer, turn air conditioning to 85º F.
Lock the doors, close the windows, and leave the keys inside the lockbox. (If you have an alarm, remind your guests of the proper code.)
Please sign our guestbook.
Please depart by 10am so we can prepare the house for our next set of guests.
Have a safe journey home!

One question we often receive is whether to penalize guests who don’t fully abide by the checkout rules. In situations like this, it’s important to consider your guests’ entire stay. If they were great renters but forgot to turn off the heat when they left, it may not be worth withholding money and lessening your chances of renting to them again in the future.

However, if you find that your checkout policy was completely ignored, that might be grounds for withholding a portion of the security deposit. But remember – you can only withhold the amount it costs to repair or replace a damaged item or address a specific problem. So, if your renters left the house messy and caused your housekeeper to have to clean longer than usual, you may want to bill your renters for the excess cleaning time.

Instituting a checkout procedure will alleviate confusion for your guests, and it could help save your housekeeper valuable time. While you don’t want to overwhelm your renters with chores, it’s reasonable to make certain requests to help you prepare for your next set of guests.

Download a printable, editable version our Sample Welcome Letter and Checkout Policy.

© Copyright Christine Karpinski 2006

25 Things to Put into a Welcome Book for Your Guests

community-no-reply@homeaway.com — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:27:25 GMT

Adding a welcome book at your holiday rental property serves several purposes:

To let the guests know about the local area restaurants, shopping, attractions, and sites
To answer questions regarding your holiday home, especially the amenities
To eliminate phone calls from guests during their stay (and during your dinner!)
To ensure the greatest possible holiday for your renters

In addition to reducing the number of questions you'll have to answer, your guests will appreciate having your suggestions and recommendations at their fingertips. You can also insert a bunch of blank pages for your guests to jot down their own "local finds", too. It's an easy and inexpensive way to improve your guests' experience.

To create a local attraction book to leave in your holiday rental home for your guests, purchase a high quality three-ring binder (the cheap ones will fall apart too quickly) from your local office supply shop. You should also purchase some top-load sheet protectors to keep the pages from getting torn. A handwritten and signed welcome letter inserted into the front of the book adds a personal touch. Then just starting collecting and adding many of the items listed below and slip them into the binder.

Your local attraction book could include:

Information about the surrounding area

1. Maps of the local area

2. Menus from local restaurants

3. Area-amusement brochures

4. Worship schedules

5. Directions and phone numbers to hospitals, pharmacies and other medical facilities

6. Directions to grocery stores

7. Airport directions and information

8. Shopping information

9. Discount coupons for shopping or attractions

Information about your home

10. Instructions for operating the DVD player/satellite TV

11. How to override the programmed thermostat

12. How to work controls for swimming pools, boats, or other amenities

13. Local TV channels

Emergency contact numbers

14. Housekeepers

15. Maintenance staff

16. Owners' home and mobile numbers

17. Security officers

18. Police/fire departments

19. Weather information

20. Poison control center

Rental rules

21. Check-in policy

22. Checkout times and policies

23. Complex/subdivision rules

24. Parking information

25. Quiet times